Two head to court on charges of illegal gambling

BEAVER — Two of three people charged in a gambling raid at an Ohioville convenience store in January waived their rights to preliminary hearings in Beaver County Court on Friday.

Darrel Haynes and Thomas Martin were each charged by state police with illegal gambling device possession. Haynes also was charged with marijuana possession.

According to court records, three members of the state police’s vice unit went to Haynes Super Service at 464 Midland Road on Jan. 2, and the owner, Haynes, 34, of 125 Atlas Ave., Rochester, told troopers there were poker machines in the back.

On Jan. 8, another trooper went to the store, state police said, put $60 in one of the machines and was paid out $80 by Susan K. Garner.

The machines were confiscated Jan. 11. State police said Haynes told them he had owned and operated the store for about two years, and Martin, 51, of Mars, Butler County, had asked him about renting a back room for machines.

Haynes said he didn’t think it was a problem because it was in a separate room from the convenience store.

Police said that when they questioned Martin, he said he owned a poker machine arcade in the Calcutta area of Columbiana County, Ohio, but recent changes in state law there meant he couldn’t pay out on them.

Martin said he then rented the room from Haynes for $650 a month, and Garner was paid $8 an hour to run the machines when he wasn’t there.

Court documents indicated Garner, 63, of 468 Southview Drive, East Liverpool, Ohio, is expected to enter a plea to a summary offense in the case in late March; additional information wasn’t available Friday. She has been charged with the same offenses as Haynes and Martin.

Haynes was charged with marijuana possession because state police said they found marijuana in the store and Haynes said it belonged to him.